Another New York teacher arrested on sex abuse charges: officials

A gym teacher at a Brooklyn high school was arrested Tuesday for allegedly sexually abusing a student, officials said.

Esran Boothe, who teaches at the Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment in Prospect Heights, was arrested at 10 a.m. for inappropriately touching a 16-year-old student, police said. Boothe, 49, is at least the 15th city education employee to be arrested so far this year on charges ranging from sexual assault to using a key to deface a car.

At least seven of the arrests stemmed from accusations of sexual offenses. "A staff member who violates the trust of our students and families does not deserve to work in our schools - period," Chancellor Dennis Walcott said in a statement Tuesday.

Education officials said Boothe has worked in three schools since being hired in 2003.

A spokesman for the Brooklyn DA's office was unsure when Boothe would be arraigned or if he had a lawyer.